The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-03-29
Secretary BalfOur Arraigns
the National League.
Provision Allowing Certain Cases to
be Removed to England
The French Minister of Foreign Affairs said Il
Have Made important Admissions Relying
on Russia's Friendship.

question. stated that the Canadian Par
lament possessed the authority to pur-
chase and direct the operations of armed
cruisers in Canadian waters without the
consent of the Imperial Government.
The act of 1859 gave Canada the power
To Iegislate in all matters relative to
militia. military and naval defence.
w. III. Smith the Government header.
intimated that the Government had de-
cided to- ask the House To pass the sec
Ond reading of the Irish Criminal Law
Amendment bill before proposing the
Easter holidays. Cheers and counter
cheers. The Government. said Mr..
Smith, disowned any intention tn mem
ace the House but they wished the mem
bers to understand that the measure
was vital To- order in Ireland: that it
was one upon which the Government
staked their existence. and was more i'm
portant than HOLIDAYS.
MIR. BALFOUR RISES.
Mr.. Balfour, Chief Secretary for Ire
land. then moved the first reading of the
Irish Criminal Law Amendment Bill.
In doing so he referred To the terms of
Parnell's proposed amendment to the
Bill. i'm which the Irish leader claims that
the House should obtain further infor-
nation about the condition of Ireland.
Mr. Balfour thought the Parnellites were
sufficiently informed of the state of their
country, and should recognize Irish
anarchy as an artiticer does
his own work. The Govern
ment did not rest the case on the
stastistics of agrarion crime. They
took the view that the amount of crime
must he considered in conjunction with
its cause and characters. The law had
been set aside and the vacuum had not
been filed 10y the ordinary law. Here
Mr.. Balfour read a number of charges
of order by Judges to Grand Juries
showing that the number of persons
actually charged have no relation to
to the amount of crime. Boycotting.
he said was rampant in that part of the
country most disturbed. The. men who
gave this testimony were not partisans.
(Parnelite cries of dissentD PARALYSIS of
courts of law was an evil necessary to he
specially checked Ii arose from the
difficulty of inducing intimidated wit
nesses To speak out. In 90 cases - in
jured parties We're 50 terrified that they
refused To appear. When evidence was
obtained, juries declined. even in the
clearest cases. to convict.
INUNDATED JURIEs.
Here he alluded To a long list of cases
in which the jury had disregarded the
evidence presented and asked if it was
to he wondered at when the Nationalist
press pointed out the iurymen giving the
verdict and held them up to public
scOrn and secret vengence. Those per
sons desiring a separation of Ireland
were ready To attain their object by the
Use of avowed terrorism. The jury sys-
tenn thus became impracticable Par
nell laughterl. The place which the law
ought To till was occupied by the Ma
tional league. The members of the
League relied upon secret societies. dy-
namite and the dagger. the object of
which was the bringing about of state
of anarchy bv means of assassination.
liz was an absurd travesty of facts. he
declared. to-day that the League had
any resemblance to Trades Unions. The
initial policy of the League was "a COM
bination for the plumber of individuals
with the destruction of the Constitution.
The speaker then Proceeded to give
instances of boycOtting. hut was
repeatedly interrupted by demands
from Parnellites of the names of the
persons boycotted. He declined. how
ever. to give the names of the per
sons unless beyond the reach of
the members of the League Mr.. Bal
four next read extracts from the UHitcd
IrpIdHd. disclosing the extent of the
system of terrorizing. He said that the
latest official returns showed that 80
persons We're boycotted under orders
from the League. I'm many districts the
tenant-right had become valuele., be-
cause No selling of the right was possi-
bile unless sanctioned 10y the League.
No tyranny. however cruel. could com
pare with anarchy resulting from the
existence of League tribunals.
PROVISIONS or THE BILL
Coming to the proposals of the hill. he
stated that the government had borrow
Ell a provision from the Scotch system
giving magistrates thu. power to exam
inc witnesses on oath. even when mo
persons are charged with crime To
meet the difficulty of getting ver,licts
they proposed to abolish the jury system
altogether icheers and counter cheers.
for certain classes of crime and the Civ
ing to the magistrate of jurisdiction.
with power t. impose the maximum
penalty nf six months imprisonment i'm
cases of criminal conspiracy. boycotting-
rioting. offen>es under the White Boy
acts. assaults ON officers of the law.
forcihle and unlawful possession.
fchtersl
LIBERTY OF THE PRESS
The Government did not propose to in
terfere with the liberty of the press. but
they hoped that in giving magistrates
the power of summary conviction for
melting offen>es they would be- able 10
prevent the press sharing IN the crimes
The Bill also gave the Govern
ment the power To change venue
of trial of graver offenses. The
! Government felt the difficulty